80 Series Gearbox Noisy

Hi Don,

We bought our 94 model back in 2000 and it also started making a few noises in the gearbox, mainly in second and third gears, also hard to get into and out of gear. Took it back while still under warranty also. The mechanic pulled the box to pieces and found that all the bearings needed replacing as well as all the gearing cogs. The meshing had worn therefore making the gearing sticky. Also, he found that the backlash in the rear diff also needed adjusting as there was noise there also. Lucky for the warranty.

Hope this helps.

My 1990 GXL80 has had an very noisy gearbox from day 1. Gearbox pulled out 4 times under warranty, with new bearings, syncros, gears thrown at it each time - noise remained. Just live with it now (175000km of beach and heavy towing) and use Castrol Syntrax oil in it - makes a huge difference. Change gear oil every 12 months. Toyota also chucked on a new clutch slave cylider and made a huge difference for 12 months. One major warning - gearbox filler bung thread tapered and will crack housing if overtightened - do up finger tight and turn no more than a quarter more. This model gearbox very susceptible to angle of rear tail shaft, so if added aftermarket suspension or air bags, may add to problem. My problems used to go away with a decent load and some heavy work.